The first major of 2020 is here. Less than 10 events after the PGA Tour resumed play on June 11, the 102nd playing of the PGA Championship is set to take place this week at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, CA.
In addition to the elite international tour professionals in the field vying for the Wanamaker Trophy and a major championship title, the PGA Championship will also honor a long-standing tradition by extending invitations to twenty of the best players from its own ranks of teaching and club professionals.
Typically, the road to earning these 20 special invitations runs through the PGA Professional Championship, but due to COVID-19 the event was canceled, meaning those who placed in the top 20 of the 2019 PGA Player of the Year list became eligible to represent the PGA of America in the 2020 PGA Championship.
We wanted to learn more about our PGA Professionals competing in this year's event, so Titleist Brand Ambassador Michael Breed sat down via Zoom with last year’s winner of the PGA Professional Championship, Alex Beach, a playing and teaching professional at Westchester CC, as well as PGA Director of Golf at GlenArbor GC Rob Labritz, who's finished as the low Club Professional at the PGA Championship twice, to find out how they're preparing for Harding Park.
Check out the interviews below and keep scrolling to meet the rest of the club professionals in this year's field.
Alex Beach
Rye, New York | PGA Assistant Professional – Westchester Country Club | 3rd PGA Championship Appearance
Pro V1 golf ball, TS2 driver (9.5°), TS2 fairway metal (15°), U500 2 iron, 620 MB (4-9) irons, Vokey Design SM7 pitching (46.10F), gap (50.08F), sand (54.10S) and lob (60.04L) wedges, Scotty Cameron Circle T putter
Rob Labritz
Bedford Hills, New York | PGA Director of Golf – GlenArbor Golf | 7th PGA Championship Appearance
Pro V1 golf ball, TS3 Driver (10.5° at D1), TS3 fairway metal (15°), U510 2 iron, T200 (4-PW) irons, Vokey Design SM8 (50.12F) gap, (54.12D) sand, (58.14K) lob wedges
Danny Balin
Lake Success, New York | PGA Head Golf Professional – Fresh Meadow Country Club | 7th PGA Championship Appearance
Danny Balin
Justin Bertsch
Naples, Florida | PGA Head Golf Professional – Club at Pelican Bay | 2nd PGA Championship Appearance
Justin Bertsch
Jason Caron
Oyster Bay, New York | PGA Head Golf Professional – Mill River Club | 2nd PGA Championship Appearance
Jason Caron
Ben Cook
Grand Rapids, Michigan | PGA Teaching Professional – Yankee Springs Golf Course | 2nd PGA Championship Appearance
Ben Cook
David Muttitt
Albuquerque, New Mexico | PGA Golf Professional – Los Altos Municipal Golf Course | 5th PGA Championship Appearance
David Muttitt
Jeff Roth
Wixom, Michigan | PGA Teaching Professional – Boyne Golf Academy | 6th PGA Championship Appearance
Jeff Roth
To learn even more about these players, check out these videos that were shared by the PGA of America.
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Congratulations to all our qualifiers and good luck at Harding Park!
#TeamTitleist